USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors and protocols are well known in the art of wired communication and are used as standard means for connecting devices to computers and other peripherals.
The broad acceptability of standard USB protocols and USB connectors obtains extreme connection flexibility between different devices. The A Type connector, such as USB A Type plug, available from ACON, Advanced-Connectek, Inc., is a flat form factor type of connector commonly used at the end of a cable of a device that plugs into the host/computer USB port or USB hub.
There are, however, business situations in which there is a need to limit the ability to connect USB peripherals to a device.
One example of such a business situation is a case of cooperation between a vendor of a portable media storage device and a vendor of a digital media playing device, wherein the cooperation implies that the storage device will be able to connect to a standard USB device for uploading content, and then to connect to only a specific media playing device for downloading the digital media.